The oil-free kitchen

Most people who come to see me as a client, or a participant in my cooking classes, can wrap their heads around the basic concept of a wholefood plant-based diet without too much trouble. After all, eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes just makes sense (at least, once you shake off carbophobia and spend a couple of minutes thinking about what the healthiest, most long-lived people on Earth eat).

Eliminating sugar is a no-brainer for most people too. Sugar is the very definition of a junk food – a highly processed substance that has been stripped of all its fibre, micronutrients and water, leaving nothing but refined carbohydrate.

But it’s when the discussion turns to dumping oiI and salt that many people do a double-take. I discussed one major reason to break up with salt in last week’s post – it drives overeating and weight gain – and my webinar Salt: The Unsavoury Truth’, which you can watch by joining my EmpowerEd health and nutrition education program, covers the other hazards of salt consumption including high blood pressure,

As for oil, most people’s reaction to the news that oil is not a health food – and yes, that includes coconut oil, as confirmed recently by the Presidential Advisory Panel of the American Heart Association – is incredulity (until I explain the science and show them the published research), followed by consternation.

“I understand what you’re saying… but how do I cook without oil?”

is a question I hear just about every day!

I ran a full-day workshop on this topic, ‘Plant-Powered Oil-Free Cooking’, and you can also access the videos, audio recording, slide presentation and recipes from this workshop in the EmpowerEd members’-only section.

In this post, however, I wanted to give you a concise ‘cheat sheet’ of substitutes for oil, covering all the major culinary applications of oil.

Baking without oil

Vegetables

I generally set the oven to 200°C and bake vegetables on a tray lined with a silicon baking mat or baking paper, to make clean-up easier.

Pumpkin can be simply cut into wedges and placed, cut side up, in the oven. I leave the skin on, butternut pumpkin skin can be eaten, while the skin of other pumpkins easily slips off once baked. Depending on the size of your pumpkin wedges, they may take 20-45 minutes, so set a timer to remind you to check them every 10 minutes. I like to remove the pumpkin seeds, spread them in a single layer, and bake them at the same time. They only take 10-15 minutes though, so put them on a separate tray and remove them from the oven as soon as they go crunchy.

Sweet potato can be baked whole in its skin – 30-50 minutes, depending on size; it goes squishy when properly cooked, and oozes a toffee-like substance which you can scrape off the baking sheet and eat – yum! You can also peel and dice it or cut it into wedges, chips or fries, dunk it in aquafaba (the cooking liquid from chick peas or other light-coloured legumes) or low-sodium vegetable stock and roll it in onion or garlic powder, paprika, sumac, oregano or any other herb or spice mixture you enjoy. Depending on size, it will take 15-30 minutes to bake.

Potato can also be baked whole in its skin. Some people recommend pricking potatoes all over with a fork, the placing them directly on the oven rack rather than on a baking tray, to get them crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. You can make diced potato, chips or wedges as for sweet potato, described above. Cooking times are generally 10-15 minutes longer than for sweet potato.

Cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant and other non-starchy vegetables suitable for baking should be brushed with or dunked in low-sodium vegetable stock of aquafaba to prevent them drying out, then seasoned with herbs and/or spices.

Sweet baked goods

N.B. all substitutions can alter the taste, texture and baking time. You’ll need to experiment until you acheive you desired result.

For muffins, cakes, brownies and cake-like cookies, use unsweetened applesauce (home-made, store-bought, or use the unsweetened apple purée sold for kids’ lunchbox snacks) in equal measure to the oil.

For savoury baked goods, substitute an equal measure of silken tofu, puréed in a blender or food processor.

Silicon baking pans and muffin cups eliminate the need to use oil to grease the pan. Baking paper can also be used to line pans.

Sautéing and stir-frying

Non-stick cookware such as stoneware pots and frying pans make oil-free cooking a breeze. Simply heat the empty pan until it reaches the mercury ball stage (i.e. wet your hands then flick water into the pan; when the pan is ready, the water will form a tiny ball, like a mercury ball, and roll around the pan before evaporating) then add your vegetables. You’ll need to stir regularly. Most vegetables have lots of water which prevents them from sticking to the pan, but if they do begin to stick, add a small amount of low-sodium vegetable stock, broth or water.

To caramelise onion, heat a non-stick frying pan to the mercury ball stage, add the onion and sauté vigorously until it starts to brown. Carefully pour in 1/2 cup of vegetable stock or broth, stir to lift the sugars off the base of the pan, and continue cooking until the onion is soft. You may need to add additional liquid if it begins to stick; pour it in 1/4 cup at a time and continue stirring.

Salad dressings

Personally, I prefer to just use balsamic vinegar, or a fruit vinegar such as raspberry.

But many people miss the mouthfeel of oil in a salad dressing. Oil coats the vegetables, making them feel less ‘dry’ in the mouth. To mimic this mouthfeel, use ground chia or linseed/flaxseed, which form a gel-like consistency when added to liquid and allowed to stand. When I’m adapting a salad dressing recipe that uses oil, I just replace the oil with an equal volume of water, and use 1 tsp ground chia or linseed per cup of liquid ingredients. The mixture will thicken after 10 minutes, creating a coating consistency.

To replace oil in creamy dressings, such as mayonnaise, use an equal volume of silken tofu. See my Sauces, Dressings and Dips recipes for more ideas.

What are your favourite tips and tricks for cooking oil-free? Please share below!

Check out my EmpowerEd health and nutrition education program to get access to the Plant-Powered Oil-Free Cooking workshop recordings and recipes. Your first month of membership is free.

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